The Rebel
by Kara Kasai
Summary: Quite inspired by "Walk on the Edge"--Yamato's 01 theme. Yamato was wondering why he was the Child of Friendship... did he have the trait of friendship--or loneliness? Please r/r


Disclaimer: I wish that I could buy Digimon, but unfortunately, I don't have enough money—and would never have enough money. Even if I did own Digimon, I wouldn't have created the idea… so, technically, I will never be able to own Digimon… so, I don't own Digimon… WAH!!!!!

Hey, you guys! This story mainly focuses on Yamato because… well, eh… I listened to Yamato's 01 theme song "Walk on the Edge" and that got me thinking. That's exactly how I imagine Yamato in 01—and the singing sounds like a harmonica… =^.^= Anyways, it's a really cool song—quite modern and rock 'n' rolled styled.—electric guitars rock the song on…

The story is called "The Rebel" for a good reason, eh? Well… go to: http://www.digitalyume.com. They have the song "Walk on the Edge" under… eh, just check it out and download the song. It's really cool. ^_^

"The Rebel"

The summer day was warm and breezy. Treetops lilted at Mother Nature's will and birds flew from tree to tree, singing happily. The world was filled with green and freshness. Everything was full of life.

          Sitting in the tree and gazing out at the lively scenic view, Ishida Yamato glanced away. He could feel the biting emotion he wanted to show, but just couldn't, coming on in him. 

          "Why am I always the rebel?" he asked himself coldly, running his pale hands through his golden hair that stuck up oddly. An odd shiver went through his spine. 

          He knew this feeling too well. It was loneliness. He was lonely—he was a loner, a rebel.

          "Was this camp _any_ good? Why did I come here? Did I find anything? Why do I have the Crest of Friendship?" he threw questions at himself. Sighing, he changed positions to outlook the grassy fields and watch his little brother, Takaishi Takeru, play with Yagami Hikari. 

          Yamato bent and leaned against the tree. Uneasily, he sighed and tried to keep his cool, but he couldn't. For the first time in a long time, he couldn't find his cooler, eased and emotionless side. All he could feel was the unfamiliar and biting emotion coming slowly… rolling into him.

          Wishing the feeling would just disappear; he held his breath and released it slowly. Still, the feeling was there and ready.

          Yamato felt himself slide in two directions. "Where—what… what?" he said, unsure of himself, for the first time in a long time.

          "Ya-ma-to!!!!!" Takenouchi Sora and Yagami Taichi yelled, looking for their new friend. "Where are you?"

          Yamato didn't feel like answering. He knew if he spoke, he'd break his shield. Instead, he pulled out his greatly favoured harmonica and played a few simple chords. Then, he played a song, bored.

          Sora and Taichi glanced up and perked their ears. They tried to locate where the harmonica sound came from… They looked up.

          "_There_ you are, Yamato!" Sora exclaimed, rolling her eyes. 

          "We've been looking for you everywhere!" Taichi exclaimed. "Why didn't you answer? I mean, aren't you our friend?"

          Yamato immediately iced up when he heard the word "friend". He blushed. Was he their friend?

          "I… I'm sorry," Yamato said, his voice quavering as if he had been crying, his heart beating fast. "I… I…" he tried to explain, but no words formed at his lips. He only blushed more. 

          "Well… if you want, play soccer with us, will you?" Taichi asked, turning around, bouncing a soccer ball on his knee. "Uh…" he said, waiting for an answer.

          Yamato shook his head. "Eh, no thank you," he replied politely. The unwanted and unfamiliar feeling was digging its hole out of Yamato, ready to show.

          "Well… okay. We'll see you later, Yamato," Sora said, and she too turned around. 

          Yamato gazed at Sora and Taichi enviously. They had things he wanted. They had family and friends. He was surrounded by loneliness, however. His parents were divorced. He never saw his kid-brother, Takeru, and his father always worked. 

          Soft tears formed in Yamato's eyes. "Uh… see you guys later," he said.

          Sora felt Yamato's icy blue gaze watching them. She swiftly turned to gaze at Yamato. She stared into his eyes briefly. His eyes were watery and filled with silent tears, slowly crawling down his cheeks.

          It took time for Yamato to realise that Sora was watching him. He blushed, embarrassed, and swiftly turned away. He wiped his tears on his shirt, and pulled out his harmonica.

          Sora shook her head sadly. Her heart went out to him, with sympathy… "Why's he so sad and lonely?" she asked softly.

          "Did you say something, Sora?" Taichi asked. He could have sworn he had heard her say something.

          "Uh, no… why don't you set up, Taichi? I'll be there in a moment," Sora told the brunette. 

          "Sure," Taichi said, shrugging. He ran off to the field. He was still sad about leaving the "Digital World" so he was playing soccer to work the sadness off.

Sora waited in silence. "Say something, Yamato… Why are you… upset?" she asked. "If it's about the Digimon, well… all of us have to go through that, and… it's okay to cry."

          Yamato blushed. Pausing from his harmonica, "No, it isn't because of the Digimon… or anything like that," Yamato said. After second thought, he added, "Or, at least I don't think it is."

          Sora sighed sympathetically. She had no idea what to do. Was she supposed to comfort him, leave him alone… what? 

          Yamato shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…" he murmured into the silence, unsure of what to do. 

          "What's the matter?" Sora finally asked. Slowly, she climbed the tree to sit next to Yamato. She curled her legs under her gracefully, like a cat, and placed a hand on Yamato's shoulder in comfort. "No need to be desolate…" she said, half-smiling. 

          Yamato turned away, angry with himself. 

          "SORA! Where are you?" cried Taichi, interrupting Sora's thoughts. 

          "Coming, Taichi! Hold your horses!" Sora said, rolling her eyes mischievously. Turning to Yamato, she said, "Hey… if you need anybody to talk with, just talk with Taichi and me… ok? I… I hope we see you in school, Ishida Yamato. And stop crying. Smiling is always better!" Then, Sora jumped down from the tree to the ground.

          Yamato grimaced sadly. "I've always been alone and always will be," he told Sora quietly. 

          Yamato closed his eyes and rested against the tree. The same unwanted feeling filled him, but Yamato didn't know why.

          "I'm fine when I'm all alone, when I'm the rebel… when I'm cold and emotionless," he told himself gruffly. However, he wasn't absorbing his words. They weren't one bit assuring. 

"Finally… summer break's over," Yamato muttered mockingly. "Yeah, like I care? It's all the same at home and at school. I'm just always alone—not like Taichi and Sora," he said, remembering that Taichi and Sora were quite popular at school. "And just to think, they call me their friend."

          "Hurry up, Yamato! You're going to be late! Remember to fix dinner, okay, Yamato? I won't be home until seven," Mr. Ishida told his son.

          "Yeah, yeah… like always," Yamato muttered bitterly. "Got to go anyways," he told his father and left.

          Like usual, he wore his green sleeveless turtleneck shirt, the blue jeans and brown shoes… all the same through his summer vacation and school.

          He slouched, walking in a casual and moody gait. He just stared down at the ground at people's feet. It was better than to look out at the world with a positive and happy personality.

          "Hey, Yamato!" Yagami Taichi greeted excitedly. Pausing, "You think we'll ever see…" he trailed off in a whisper, gazing desperately into Yamato's eyes.

          Yamato turned away. "Probably not," he said, casually dropping the subject. "Doesn't matter much, does it?" he asked.

          "Eh, n-no," Taichi said, pulling away from Yamato uncertainly. It did matter to Taichi.

          "Hey, you guys!" Takenouchi Sora said, smiling. She looked… different.

          Taichi raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Eh, what happened to you Sora—or do I need to call you Takenouchi-san?" he demanded comically. "Really, did a tornado hit you?"

          From out-of-nowhere, Tachikawa Mimi popped out. "Don't listen to Taichi, here. Boys are so insensitive!" she said, rolling her eyes. On second thought she added, "With an exception of some boys," thinking about Kido Jyou.

          Sora glanced down. Had she changed that much?

          True, she had changed from her blue jean, yellow top, and blue helmet style. Her new style was more… feminine—just a little bit more feminine. 

          It was only because she had been trying to spend time with her mother—and Mimi had just dropped by. In conclusion, Sora had been forced to go shopping. However, she didn't particularly hate the "new adventure". In fact, she had enjoyed herself.

          Her russet-coloured hair was brushed carefully to add a shine. She wore light blue Capri styled jeans and a light pink t-shirt—a very different style from what she had worn before.

          Sora paused, looking down at herself. "You're right… anyways it's pink!" she said with distaste.

          Mimi smiled brightly. She wore stylish pink clothing, her red hair combed smoothly. "Tachikawa Trademark is pink! My only label! Pink means that I've been there!" she said dramatically.

          Yamato shook his head in frustration. "Yeah? Whatever—got to go," he muttered, dangerously edgily. 

          "But wait, Yamato!" Taichi began saying. "We're in the same class…"

          Sora held Taichi from running after Yamato. "He needs time alone," she said in a motherly way. "I… I wonder why he's so cold."

          Taichi glanced at Sora questioningly. "What do you mean?" he asked.

          Sora and Mimi exchanged glances.

          "Boys! Go figure," Mimi said. "Especially this cutie pie—so oblivious!"

          Taichi blinked. Slowly comprehending her words, he blushed brightly. "What?" he demanded.

          Sora smiled. Her smile grew wider, until she could no longer hold it in. She burst out laughing, as did Mimi.

Yamato sat down in his seat slowly.

          He could feel the feeling ease itself into his chest, enveloping him slowly. 

          Yamato managed to avoid the feeling. Still, the loneliness lay heavily on him. _Why_, he asked himself, _do I have to be such an idiot at some times? I mean, I… I… What's this feeling? Why is it always there, and how come I can't control it any more?_

          "Yamato, you wolf!" Taichi groaned angrily. "And you just had to leave?"

          Yamato merely glanced at Taichi. "So?" he asked, pretending his nonchalance. 

          "So? The girls are just being annoying!" Taichi concluded unreasonably.

          "Taichi, you still haven't gotten the last of it!—oh, hi Yamato!" Sora said. 

          Upon eleven-year-old Sora's entrance, boys stared. Most of them blinked unbelievingly—"Isn't that Takenouchi Sora? What happened to the helmet?" they asked. 

          "Whatever you two—just that we all went to the same summer camp doesn't mean that we are all friends," Yamato said icily. His icy barrier was far from broken.

          Sora blinked and sighed. "Sometimes, it seems you could really be a sweet and nice kid, Yamato," Sora said. "Just 'cause you're lonely… but… maybe I was wrong," she concluded.

          Yamato paused to think about the words. The truth hit him. He was lonely—but he would never admit it. "Whatever," he murmured. "I don't happen to… to… to care…" he said, trying to keep the aggression in his voice.

          The unwanted feeling filled his heart. _It's loneliness_, he thought. 

          "If you want," Taichi offered softly, finally understanding, "we could all be friends… besides, I have a feeling that there's going to be more adventures in the Digital World in the future… and we'll all get to see our Digimon like promised—eh, once Koushiro figures all this stuff out."

          Yamato wanted to accept so badly, but his barrier wasn't going down without a fight. Yamato struggled with himself. Finally, and barely, he managed to choke the words out. "Let's be friends," he said, blushing.

Yamato wasn't sure if what he did was right. 

          Climbing up the school's tall tree, he pulled out his harmonica. He shifted to a comfortable position and played a tune. Slowly, a musical composition formed in his mind. Just so slowly. The tune came together, and he played it on his harmonica.

          At the end of the song, he sighed.

          "Very nice," a familiar voice said. "Don't you agree, Taichi?" 

          The sweet and young voice belonged to Sora. 

          She smiled and clapped, and Taichi quickly climbed up the tree and punched Yamato playfully. 

          "C'mon, Sora, three can fit up here!" Taichi yelled. "Need help?"

          Sora frowned upon Taichi's mischievous and comical grin. She swatted him playfully and said, "No." Getting back to subject, Sora asked, "Did you make the song?"

          "Uh…" Yamato coughed nervously, blushing. "Uh… yah…" 

          "I bet that you could probably become a really talented musical artist," Sora praised.

          "Yeah—just need a record deal…" Taichi said dubiously and comically. 

_Two Years Later…_

"I can't believe it!" Sora exclaimed, frozen in surprise. "Yamato! That's great!"

          She still looked the same in the basic ways, with an exception that she now wore a school uniform of green or her tennis outfit for most of the time.

          Taichi gaped. "I can't, either. Looks like Ishida here has got a record deal—and a few gigs lined up!"

          Taichi looked the same, too, from his big and messy hair to his mischievous grin, and to his love for soccer. He wore the school uniform for boys of a green blazer, white collared shirt, and green slacks—although he would have preferred a different colour. 

          "Believe it," Yamato grinned, giving a perfectly toothy smile. "And guess what the band's officially named…"

          It was Yamato who had changed so much. He had cut his hair to a shorter style. He was no longer the isolated outcast and rebel, but the popular, handsome, and sensible bearer of the Crest of Friendship. He had also formed a small and unknown band in the last year. The band consisted of a few of Yamato's good friends, Akira, Yutaka, and Takahashi, outside the Chosen Children. 

          Taichi and Sora exchanged glances. "Who knows?" they said.

          Yamato smiled. "Teenage Wolves—get it?" he asked.

          "I don't get it," Taichi replied. Pausing for a moment after receiving two goggling glances, he said, "I don't know… wait—wolves? Let me guess… Gabumon?"

          "Yeah. In honour of Gabumon—and the Digimon Adventures," Yamato said. "Yeah. I'm glad that Digimon happened to us. It… changed us—all," he said.

Sora smiled. "Digimon made me think. Taught me to enjoy my time with the ones I care about," she told.

          Taichi wrinkled his forehead momentarily. "Digimon taught me that I had to not only rely on courage but also on strategy and logicality and sensibility. It doesn't only take guts," he said explanatively.

          "And Digimon made me realise that you don't have to be the only one," Yamato said finally. "Digimon changed everything—our lives, Kyoto—everything."

Ishida Yamato lay in bed, listening to the quiet and occasional rustle of the trees. He was waiting for something to happen. 

          "Were we destined to be the Chosen Children? Am I the right one to have the Crest of Friendship? How did Digimon change me? Was it good? Is this all right?" he asked himself quietly.

          He had asked these questions many times before. It was what had been written all over his notebooks right after the summer of the Digimon Adventure. 

          Sighing, he leaned onto his sides. Curling up into the foetal position, he answered his questions slowly. 

          "It was right of me to go to camp. It changed everything… It was destined. And… I wasn't very friendly, but then… I learned the value of my Crest… the Crest of Friendship. And it was all good… 'cause I made new friends, and I wasn't lonely," he said. 

          Running his pale hand through his golden hair, he drifted into sleep… dream…

          The dream. 

          Yamato was dreaming…

          _The summer day was warm and breezy. Treetops lilted at Mother Nature's will and birds flew from tree to tree, singing happily. The world was filled with green and freshness. Everything was full of life._

_          Sitting in the tree and gazing out at the lively scenic view, Ishida Yamato glanced away. He could feel the biting emotion he wanted to show, but just couldn't, coming on in him. _

_          "Why am I always the rebel?" he asked himself coldly, running his pale hands through his golden hair that stuck up oddly. An odd shiver went through his spine. _

_          He knew this feeling too well. It was loneliness. He was lonely—he was a loner, a rebel._

Personally, I don't think it was that great but… I just had to write something 'cause I think I've slumped onto some writer's block. And this was the only way I could think of to get rid of writer's block—interpret a song to fit into a story and all that junk…

Well, was that good? Mind you, this happens after the train ride out of the Digital World where they part with their Digimon, and… what I find interesting is that the voice actor of 01 Yamato speaks English very well! Just listen… you here "C'mon" and "alright" in it—though it isn't shown in the lyrics… you may not hear it, but just listen carefully… it's between "Dekiru hazu sa" and "atsui haato nanka"—something like that.

Umm… Mind that I've only seen Digimon Adventure 01 once… I think I've seen almost all, but I'm not sure… No, I didn't. I missed a lot of episodes… -_-

And...another note, I'm not sure if that's what 01 Yamato would be like, but I'm in a sappy girl mode. ^_^ Sugar high, and hyper—but slumped with Writer's Block: the worst come-and-go disease for a writer... -_-' (Completely not true!) But anyways, I'm also really, really bored and wondered what happened with Yamato...so, I wrote this to answer questions. 

Would you please review and tell me what you all thought of it? Please? Thanks!!!!!

~Takara Kasai

I was just listening to "Atarashii Taiyou"—Taichi's 02 theme song. God, he has a high voice!—What would you expect when it's a female seiyuu? Well, it's really freaky for a supposed jock. Especially since the voice actor plays a tenth grader—who _should_ have had a voice change by then. -_- Sorry, but that's just my opinion… But the song lyrics are beautiful and the song itself is really sweet. "New sun, grow for the first time, east of the sky opens… In order to know courage, in order to know to know tears, for the world to turn up…"—or something like that in translation—O.o I still haven't finished translating what I started about a month ago. I'm very, very good at procrastinating. Anyways, the song has a true and deeply felt meaning...Download it at www.digitalyume.com because it's really cool!—but you won't believe how high his voice is. ^_^'

"Live the world today 

Cause today's an eternity

And tomorrow is light-years away"

--That's a great motto to live by. Ever notice that you can never live a "tomorrow" but you always live today? So tomorrow could be forever… Today is when you do it, and today, luckily, is for an eternity. 

Postscript: does anybody know how to get rid of writer's block? I despise it and am desperate… o.O'


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